How Esurance Is Putting A Premium On Social Media Influencers

Ensurance has teamed with San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey and his wife, Kristen, to launch “Quotes for a Cure,” an initiative designed to raise awareness for pediatric cancer research and treatment. more...

Esurance uses “DIY Ditties” to support its baseball platform. Above, the Scott brothers share a home tip to the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”.

Esurance is dialing up its involvement with social influencers to drive engagement and promote its modern, tech-savvy positioning.

The online insurance company has launched its first-ever standalone influencer campaign with the Scott brothers—hosts of the HGTV show Property Brothers—and is doubling down on its partnership with San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey to drive social engagement around its involvement in baseball.

While Esurance has previously used influencers to amplify Super Bowl commercials and its Major League Baseball sponsorship, it has never run a stand-alone influencer campaign.

Esurance partnered with the Scott brothers based on research that showed an alignment between the company’s target audience of self-directed insurance buyers and DIYers in the home and garden space.

The company is leveraging the tie with “DIY Ditties,” a series of seven digital shorts that feature the TV hosts sharing home and auto tips. The goal: develop sharable content that leans into the brother’s strengths.

One video, for example, features the brothers sharing tips—in song—on how to know when it’s time to replace tires on a car.

“The Scott brothers love to sing and have even released songs on their own, so ‘DIY Ditties’ was a natural fit for them, putting home improvement hacks to music,” said Kristen Gambetta, Esurance manager of brand partnerships.

Esurance also uses the video series to amplify its involvement in baseball. One video, for example, features the brothers singing about how to repair a creaky floor to the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” while wearing baseball jerseys.

Major League Baseball promoted the video through its social channels, said Gambetta.

Esurance distributes the videos through the Scott brother’s social channels and a dedicated web site (www.Esurance.com/ScottBrothers). Consumers who visit the site also can receive a free auto quote.

The program has exceeded expectations. The first video, “Everything is Brighter,” received roughly 21,000 shares and more than six million views within two weeks after its April release, said Gambetta.

“The results definitely exceeded our expectations.”

Uses Posey To Amplify Baseball Platform
Like its partnership with the Scott brothers, Esurance is leveraging Buster Posey with an online video series that leans into the athlete’s personality and strengths.

The “Pep Talks with Buster” video series features the three-time World Series champion giving pep talks to people in challenging everyday situations such as changing a flat tire or installing a car seat for the first time.

“The video series is the perfect baseball equivalent to the type of support customers receive from Esurance while they find coverage that fits, settle claims quickly and efficiently, and protect their homes and cars,” said Gambetta.

Esurance leveraged Posey at last month’s MLB All-Star Game with a virtual reality experience that gave attendees the chance to feel what it’s like to catch a throw from an MLB pitcher and gain tips and encouragement from the catcher.

Other properties in Esurance’s sponsorship portfolio include the San Francisco 49ers and South by Southwest. The company in 2015 dropped its involvement in tennis (USTA U.S. Open, etc.) and other properties after adopting a “less is more” sponsorship strategy.

“As a challenger, we want to act like a big brand while being efficient with our spend. To that end, we’re constantly evolving our sponsorship strategy, evaluating partnerships that align with our business objectives while engaging consumers in new, meaningful and unexpected ways.”

Esurance in 2016 extended its baseball platform with a new sponsorship with Minor League Baseball. The company signed the partnership in part to promote home insurance, a category not included in its Major League Baseball sponsorship.

Ensurance has teamed with San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey and his wife, Kristen, to launch “Quotes for a Cure,” an initiative designed to raise awareness for pediatric cancer research and treatment.

During the month of August, Esurance will donate $10 to the Buster and Kristen Posey Fund (up to $150,000) to fight pediatric cancer for each quote on www.Esurance.com/QuotesforaCure.

“Pediatric cancer is a cause that’s very near and dear to our hearts, and we’re committed to enrich the lives of children afflicted with this devastating disease and support their families,” said Posey, in a statement announcing the program.

“I’ve worked with Esurance for several years now and it’s a great feeling when your partner not only believes in your personal mission, but creates a campaign to support it.”

On September 2nd, Esurance will sponsor the San Francisco Giants Pediatric Cancer Awareness Day at AT&T Park to kick off Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month with a home plate ceremony check donation of the funds raised from Quotes for a Cure. Esurance will also provide tickets to 150 pediatric cancer patients and their families.

“We had an opportunity to volunteer alongside Buster and Kristen at the Family House in San Francisco and were inspired by their passion for this cause and touched by the children and families we spoke with that day,” said Nancy Abraham, Esurance vice president of integrated marketing communications. “From that moment on, we were committed to developing a program that would help raise awareness for pediatric cancer.”

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